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By Jeff Cochranjeff.cochran@onlineathens.com – published Friday, September 30, 2011

In his first taste of varsity football, Clarke Central freshman Chris Jones lined up against a team that had won four straight state championships.

To hear the offensive lineman tell the story, it sounds like a classic case of a young guy taking his lumps against a superior team, earning his cleats against Buford in the Gladiators’ preseason scrimmage last Friday.

“I was kind of nervous,” Jones said. “When I got out there, it felt like a regular game. I got used to it. I struggled along the way, doing the correct steps and pass blocking.”

To hear coach Leroy Ryals tell the story, it was a freshman growing more and more impressive.

“I thought he did a great job,” Ryals said. “No one really got a passing grade, but for a freshman I thought he did a pretty good job. He did some things that are instinctive, that you don’t teach. He just does it. We were fairly surprised. Every day we come in here and watch tape, he gets better and better.”

Jones is already making an impact on the Gladiators’ roster. Ryals has the freshman listed as the team’s backup right tackle. Before fall practice even started, Jones was working with the varsity squad.

Ryals said he can count on one hand how many freshmen have started for him, one being senior lineman Deandre Harper.

“It says a lot about him and what kind of potential he has,” Ryals said. “He is a bright young man, well-mannered. He handles himself very well. You can’t teach that to a freshman. He’s very mature for his age.”

Freshmen playing at the varsity level is rare for most schools, especially in Class AAAA. It is even more unique for linemen, who usually lack the size to keep up with juniors and seniors.

That isn’t the case for Jones.

“I didn’t think I’d be on varsity until the 10th or 11th grade, but I got moved up,” he said. “It was pretty exciting and tough, but I had to get used to it.”

Jones is still getting used to the differences between high school and middle school on the football field. The first thing he had to adjust to was that he couldn’t use his size to push people around.

The second was the amount of time he had to invest to become a better player.

“It has been kind of tough, but I’m making it through,” he said. “We never really did all this kind of stuff, so it has been a new experience for me. In high school, you have to go through all the right steps. In middle school, you could just hit them straight on.”

Ryals said he noticed Jones as an eighth grader and was impressed with what he saw from him during spring practice, even when he went through the normal difficulties that freshmen go through.

When Jones showed up to every summer practice or workout during the summer, Ryals knew he had a special freshman on his depth chart.

“He is consistent,” Ryals said. “He has always been there when he is supposed to be there. Some freshman can’t always be that consistent. He found a way to get it done and get here every day. He worked out with us the whole summer.”

Ryals said his roster has no shortage of players that Jones can look up to and learn from — Harper, Justin Sarabia, Que Watson and Marquez Williams, to name a few.

The help from those upperclassmen has helped Jones make the transition. But there isn’t much they can tell him that will prepare any freshman for the Gladiators’ season opener against rival Cedar Shoals on Friday at Billy Henderson Stadium.

“I’m excited and nervous at the same time,” Jones said. “I would like to work on a few more things before the season starts.”